The first skis for the Krkonoše Mountains were ordered by Count Jan Nepomuk Harrach, a businessman, patron of the Krkonoše Mountains and owner of the Jilemnice estate, when he returned from his travels in Norway, where he learned about the advantages of skis for the mountain population in winter. Skis quickly became popular and an indispensable part of the winter equipment of the mountain people, as well as being very popular with children. The first pairs of skis were used by foresters at the Pec hunting lodge on the Velké Pláni. Franz Mitlöhner, a local carpenter, started making skis in his workshop in the house in the Obřím dole, now called the Bouda Pod Studničnou. The skis made by the local carpenter soon gained a very good reputation and were marketed under the Mitlöhner-Riesenhain brand.